Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Thumbnail sketches are an important part of the design process. Thumbnails help to dial in the silhouette
of the figure quickly. They also allow you to work through a variety of ideas very quickly. I consistently
find that my first ideas are the weakest and only after I spend some time doing the “expected,” conventional
approaches in my sketches do I come upon a new and fresh idea. It usually takes some time to work to this
point in ZBrush, but if you work this process out on paper, you will start further ahead in your sculpting. I
have also found that in the last hour of work on a piece I sometimes make a sudden and drastic change that
pushes the design into a new realm.
Thumbnail sketches are often created with a chisel tip marker in black and white.
A Thumbnail Process for ZBrush
This same approach of creating black-and-white thumbnails is possible within ZBrush as well. It allows you
to explore several options quickly in thumbnail form. This kind of approach is important because 3-D makes
it easier to get locked into an idea too early because you are often starting from an existing mesh or volume.
The thumbnail approach has the added benefit of introducing a level of spontaneity or “happy accident”
to the sculpting process, which is often absent from digital workflows.
One plug-in that will be useful in this lesson, as well as throughout the topic, is Svengali's QuickSave
plug-in. This can be found on the DVD or downloaded from zbrushcentral.com . This plug-in allows you
to save iterations of your model with a numerical file extension by pressing a hot key. This means you can
save models with a three-digit numerical extension such as _001, _002, and _003 by simply pressing your
save hot key. As you will see, this functionality can speed work along nicely. I highly recommend that you
download and install this plug-in. I have included the plug-in on the DVD or download files, but you should
check the forum at www.zbrushcentral.com to be sure you have the newest version. Svengali updates his
plug-ins. Follow these steps to add the plug-in to ZBrush:
1. From the DVD or download files, browse to the file QuickSave4.zsc . This is the QuickSave plug-in
file. Copy this into the ZBrush scripts folder so that it will load when ZBrush starts.
2. Right click and copy the file. Now browse to the root ZBrush plug-in folder. This folder is located at
C:\program files\pixologic\ZBrush4\Zstartup\ZPlugs . Paste the file into the ZPlugs folder. Be
sure it is not in a subfolder. It must remain in the root ZPlugs directory. For a Mac, this will be Applica-
tions/ZBrush 4/ZStartup/ZPlugs .
3. Restart ZBrush. If it was open, be sure to shut it down completely and restart. When ZBrush opens
again, a new menu will be found under the Zplugin menu. This menu will be titled Svengali.
4. Click on the Svengali menu to open it. This is where the QuickSave options will be found ( Figure 2-5 ) .
Figure 2-5: The QuickSave plug-in
 
 
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